For my capstone I decided on making a 2D platforming game. The reason I chose to do this is I like to play a lot of video games so I decided to try and make one. I first looked for free tools for making a game for beginners where I found a web-based one called sploder which is what I decided on using. I then made levels for my game based on the gaming videos I watch by using ideas from the games being played and trying to input them into my game. I also had someone test out some of the game to get feedback on it and then made edits to the levels based on it. What I learned from this is if you plan making a complex game then you should not use any of the free tools since you are extremely limited in what you can do.

Dooley, Jeremy, Matt Bragg, and Trevor Collins. "Speedrunners Gameplay - The Stream Team (Twitch Highlights)." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Aug. 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4w2QRLenOg>. This video shows gameplay of a 2D game where the objective is to run an obstacle course and to eliminate the other players by making them fall behind and go off the screen using different types of tools and weapons. I chose this because one of the tools you have is a grappling hook to traverse different areas so I decided to have something similar in my game. I think this source is reliable since it shows enough of the gameplay to get a good understanding of what you need to do and how it works.

Heyman, Joel, and Adam Ellis. "How To: Happy Wheels." YouTube. YouTube, 31 Jan. 2016. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkHwvddJpcM>. This video shows gameplay of a 2D game where you play user created levels and have the option to create your own. I chose this because the website I am using to create my game looks like it has similar mechanics as this one but the ones I’m using seem to be a little downgraded but it still gave me some ideas.

Jones, Michael. "Rage Quit - Cat Mario." YouTube. YouTube, 30 May 2013. Web. 03 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BksFy5qbwwM&list=PLTur7oukosPGhIYDLakN7OXX1Wba5pMbG&index=73>. This video shows gameplay of a remade mario game with the same objective as normal mario except anything can happen like an invisible block appearing and random enemies coming out of nowhere and killing you. I chose this because I was going to have similar things happen in the game I am making but I couldn’t have the things do most of these so I am having my game do things that are close to the same ridiculousness.

Jones, Michael. "Rage Quit - Mega Man 10." YouTube. YouTube, 28 June 2012. Web. 04 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhdAqD890Og&list=PLTur7oukosPGhIYDLakN7OXX1Wba5pMbG&index=121>. This video shows gameplay of a classic 2D platformer shooter where you have to defeat enemies and get through the level to get to the boss and defeat him. I chose this because there is a power up in the game where you give the character a gun so I am going to make a level similar to this.

Jones, Michael. "Rage Quit - The Unfair Platformer." YouTube. YouTube, 20 June 2013. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW8KKU-GXio&index=70&list=PLTur7oukosPGhIYDLakN7OXX1Wba5pMbG>. This video shows gameplay of another platforming game where you have to make it through each level while looking out for hidden things like spikes coming out of the ground or the ground itself disappearing beneath you. I chose this because in the game creator I am using there is a block that breaks when you step on it so I could do something like this or at least similar to it.

Jones, Michael. "Rage Quit - Trials Evolution." YouTube. YouTube, 19 Apr. 2012. Web. 04 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzqtePR5_YE&list=PLTur7oukosPGhIYDLakN7OXX1Wba5pMbG&index=131>. This video shows gameplay of a platform racing game where you need to complete different tracks that each have different types of obstacles that you need to get through. I chose this because it gave an idea to make a driving level in my game where you have to make it through some things in a vehicle.

Jones, Michael. "Rage Quit - VVVVVV." YouTube. YouTube, 15 May 2014. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDFnsHO0QR4&list=PLTur7oukosPGhIYDLakN7OXX1Wba5pMbG&index=26>. This video shows gameplay of a 2D game where your ship malfunctions and you have to travel all around the ship and space to get to them. I chose this because there are parts in the game where you have to traverse through some spikes while falling which gave me some ideas of a level I could add into the game I am making. I think this source is reliable because it shows a good amount of gameplay of the game and

Lee, Joel. "5 Free Game Development Software Tools To Make Your Own Games." MakeUseOf. N.p., 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 21 Jan. 2016. <http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/five-free-game-development-tools-make-your-own-games/>. This article has a list of game developing tools for people to use to create their own games. I selected this article because I needed something to use in order to make my game for my capstone. It had the tools in order from beginners to experts which made choosing one easier since I don’t have any experience with this. I think this is a reliable source because it explains what each of the tools is good with and the difficulty level of each tool.

Roy. "Tutorial #3: Platformer Creator: Making A Game." YouTube. YouTube, 21 June 2013. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnvHqMg9Ew4>. This video is a tutorial of the platform creator and shows an example of a game that can be made using it. This video helped me get an idea of what you can do with this game creator and gave me some interesting ideas for a level I could make with this game creator. I think this is a reliable source since it seems like that this person has created multiple videos on this game creator and has a lot of experience with it.

Ryckert, Dan. "More Addictive Than Ever." Rev. of Trials Evolution. Game Informer 18 Apr. 2012: n. pag. Game Informer. Web. 4 Feb. 2016. <http://www.gameinformer.com/games/trials_evolution/b/xbox360/archive/2012/04/18/review.aspx>. This article is a review on a platform racing game. This article tells about the previous game in the series and explains how this one is an improvement to it with the additions and new game mechanics. I chose this because this article shows what made this game an improvement from the previous one which I plan on having something similar.

Comments

Since this site has no quick restart it gets very monotonous to go back and forth through loading screen

Last part of first level require a leap of faith (will confuse people who try to play it and can’t find the ending)

Respawn time for objects takes too long

Forces you back to level one if you die on other levels

Conclusion:
I personally do not think this program is good for what you are trying to do. It feels like you are going for something fast pace and frustrating, but the program’s constant need to reload the level after every death and the limited gameplay styles hurt your ability to be creative.